Wichita eagle., 1887-11-25
BIRDS IN THEIR NESTS.
BITS OF NATURE GROUPED IN THE
PARK MUSEUM. ~. ssaa.>s--s
How Collections of Native Birds Were
Obtained for Central Park-An Inter
esting Feature of the Groups The
"Clapper" Rails.

Obtained for Central Park-An Inter-
esting Feature of the Groups The
"C1apper' Rails.
In the exhibit Of the Museum Of Natural
History this summer are eighteen groups Of
birds, which make their homes some portion
Of the year in the city OF within fifty miles of
New York. Some of them are to be found
in Central park. Others were taken on tie
bills or along the coast Of Long Island; most
| of them from Westchester county, but several
OF the rarer groups are only to be found in
the marshes and deeper woods of New Jersey.
The most interesting feature Of these groups
is that they do not simply represent stuffed
birds under glass case but in each instance
the bird is preserved in a life like attitude,
and It's nest, eggs or young birds, and the tree
or moss, amid which its home was made ara
I reproduced. In examining them one has be-
fore him not picture but scrap Of nature
itself. In one instance, that Of the field SOAR
row, the birds have built their home on bog
in the long grass by the side of running
! stream. \ part of the bog was brought away
bodily, and with it the imprint Of cows
hoof close beside the nest which the animal
narrowly missed crushing when she came
down to the stream to drink
The work Of securing the birds aud prepar-
ing them was done by Jeanness Richardson.
the naturalist, who has charge of the labora-
tory Of the museum. The foliage which looks
SO real is reproduced from the natural speci-
mems by Mrs. z. S. Mogridge, who was con-
nected with the Kensington museum in Eng
land, but is now engaged by the museum
/ here. Mr. Richardson is en- enthusiast in his
work he knows no keener enjoyment than
/ il searching out the home of some rare species
to add to his collection. During the summer
/ his vacation will be taken up in search for
ten more groups 10 add TO the museum collec-
ton
Hunting for specimens" DIR. Richardson
said with a sparkle in his eye, *is the rarest
/ sport I know Of Especially when the speci-
mems ara the smallest Of all birds and it is q
! particular species of them that you want At
! first thought it would seem quite impossible
/ to trace the humming birds you see flashing
about the honeysuckle home to their nests.
/ They buzz and flash like q meteor, and thew
are gone. Then there are half dozen varie-
ties of sparrows, which to the general OBJ
server all look alike, but here are several
/ varieties IN the groups / have collected, and
when you look ct them closely you will see
/ that there is a wide difference Of course
you don't often get chance to approach so
near them when they are alive and in tie
fields. The habits of the several species ol,e
just as unlike as their appearance. One
variety always makes its nest near the water
on the ground, and another always under
some overhanging bank or in the roots Of an
old tree
DO YOU see this pair with the nest under
the bank! That is Louisiana w.tcr. thrush.
Il is rather rare bird in this section. but
few Of them get Up here along the coast every
year. In the winter they go down into the
West Indies, Southern Mexico and Central
America. They are beautiful singers. but
are not often heard because their homes gro
always deep in the woodland thickets, where
they are not often intruded on by human
beings. l came on this male Quiet by acct
dent, and it was long hunt Of nearly a weel,
before | found the nest and secured both the
birds. | was looking for another kind Of
bird the red breasted grosbeak, that is a
powerful singer up in the new ltarl,s Of West
chester, W men 1 heard the male thrush sing
ing I caught 4 good glimpse Of him and rec
ognized what he was followed him some
distance and then lost him for the dav. The
next day | found him again and traced him
down TO fl little stream, but I could ret no
further clew to him. For severed DAYS
brought my lunch and sat down on the bank
and watched the little fellow | could have
shot him any time, but that would have done
no good, as | wanted the nest. He seemed TO
know it and would alight on q branch almost
within arms reach and sing with all his
might and then dart out of sight. How did
geo him! Why, az last examined the bank,
and right under the very spot where l had
been eating my luncheon was the nest hidden
away. The female was sitting on il with the
four white eggs spotted with brown. as you
see. 1t was easy to take the birds then,
though / felt it pity to do 50. l cut out q
piece of the bank an there II is, the genuine
Westminster soil that you sec there"
DO you use q shotgun to secure the birds!'
Yes, with the smallest kind Of shot, hardly
larger than mustard seed, and light charge
OF powder. The small birds Ike the phoebes
or tire wrens would be torn to pieces by
larger shot When I cannot csrrY away the |
surroundings Of the rest l photograph them /
and take notes for their reproduction in tie
laboratory. Il IS quite easy ID get the branch !
Of an apple tree CT a dogwOod CT which Mrs. +
Mogridga has made such HfeIike blossoms. /
The robins, too, were easy to get Those /
cardinals found III Central park and got /
permit to take them. They arc very shy. \ /
pair OF them escaped in the park four or five /
years agO and they remain Their. summer and /
winter. There are about a dozen pairs OF .
them now. That little fellow is the oven
bird. 50 called from its dome SHAPED nest ,
built on the ground, rooted over ard with an .
entrance on one side. That little brown /
fellow singing to his mate is the Politician |
l found him up near Eartsdale, Westchester, |
and there was piece Of The Tribune in his .
nest He gets his name from his habit Of |
picking ND bits Of newspaper 10 weave il his /
nest In the winter he goes down 10 the Gulf /
as fax as Guatemala. The largest birds in
the group are the clapper rails, kind Of /
snipe. l found them IN the course Of 4 hunt
down on Long Island for the seaside sparrow.
! on see how these rails make their nests Of
eel grass and reeds. The nests are only
found out N the dense salt marshes. The
birds have little Indian trails 10 the nests
through the tall gross, but i is difficult to
find them. They lay as many as twelve
creamy buff eggs Their harsh Gathering
notes give them their name. and they live in
the marshes summer and winter"
Soiacs for Duh Tlay.